The Lead-Off Question
With Curtis Granderson now with the Yankees, what does that mean for the top of the Tigers' batting order? People seem to believe that the man they got to replace Granderson in the trade with the Yankees, Austin Jackson, will fill that role.
There is some question as to whether or not Jackson can handle the role of lead-off in his first season as a major leaguer. Manager Jim Leyland is giving Jackson the opportunity by having him bat lead off in spring training. But Leyland warns that it is not a guarantee.
"Ideally that would be great, but you don't want to throw him to the wolves, either," Leyland said to the Detroit News in January. "He may lead off and tear it up, but I'm not smart enough to know that."
Jackson is a good athlete, with better than average speed. He hit .300 last season for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He has less power than Granderson, but his higher average and higher on-base percentage make him seem like a classic lead-off hitter that gets on base and lets the hitters behind him move him around the bases.
The New Guys
The Tigers made a big trade in the off season, aquiring the aforementioned Jackson and left-handed pitcher Phil Coke from the Yankees in exchange for Curtis Granderson. They then sent pitcher Edwin Jackson to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for right-handed pitchers Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth.
Scherzer has pitched a season and a half for the Diamondbacks, and was a highly-touted prospect when he entered the majors. In 46 games, 37 starts, he is 9-15 with a 3.86 ERA and 240 strikeouts in 226.1 innings pitched. Schlereth, son of ESPN football anyalist and three-time Super Bowl Champion Mark Schlereth, is a former first-round pick of the Diamondbacks in 2008. He made his major league debut last season as a reliever, posting a 1-4 record, with a 5.89 ERA in 21 appearances. He had 22 strikeouts in 18.1 innings pitched. Coke was a key left-hander out of the bullpen for the Yankees last season in their run to the World Series Championship. Coke appeared in 72 regular-season games last year for the Yankees, and six post-season games. He had 21 holds and an ERA of 4.50 in 60 innings of work.
Now where all the new guys will fit in is still somewhat up in the air. As mentioned earlier, Jackson is going to take over for Curtis Granderson in centerfield and in the lead-off spot. Scherzer will be inserted into Edwin Jackson's spot in the rotation and form a very powerful 1-2-3 punch with Justin Verlander and Rick Porcello. Schlereth will pitch out of the bullpen. Coke is the one whose role is still up in the air. General Manager Dave Dombrowski said Coke would compete for a spot in the rotation, but Manager Jim Leyland said Coke would pitch out of the bullpen. It will be interesting to see how it plays out as the season draws near.
Also new to the team this season will be second base prospect Scott Sizemore, who has the task of replacing the beloved Placido Polanco who signed with the team that the Tigers originally received him from, the Philadelphia Phillies. Sizemore was a fifth-round pick for the Tigers in 2005. In four season in the minors, Sizemore has a .296 average, .383 on-base percentage and .441 slugging percentage.
The Tigers also replaced much-maligned closer Fernando Rodney, who left for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, with Jose Valverde. Valverde had 27 saves, a 4-2 record, 2.25 ERA and 7 blown saves in 52 appearances for the Astros last year. The Tigers also signed Johnny Damon to a one-year contract to play left field, DH and most likely bat second to let Sizemore bat further down in the order.
How Will They Finish?
The fact of the matter is the Tigers still play in the weakest division in baseball, the American League Central, and they came within a 163rd game of being a playoff team last year. With the loss of Granderson and Jackson and the question marks surrounding the lineup, the Tigers look poised to take a step back, but likely will not fall to the basement of the division, that will be occupied by the Royals and Indians. The Tigers should flirt with .500 for a lot of the season, and with a little luck could challenge Minnesota for the division title.
Prediction: 78-84, 3rd place AL Central
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